Manipulated Innocence
by adricarra
Summary: What if the Sound Stone won't really help Ness and the others? What if Giygas has been manipulating them all this time to get more power? Will Ness and his friends discover his true plans before it's too late?
1. Prologue: Strange Dreams

**Author's Note**

 **Hello everyone! I'm adricarra, but you can call me Adri. I have to say, it's been a loooong time since I wrote my last fanfic (I only have one published here though), but after I started reading fanfics again, I got inspired! So let's hope it isn't too bad, haha :'D**

 **I must say that you may find some mistakes, since English isn't my first language D: I tried my best though! If you can point out any you see, it would be great so I can edit it later!**

 **I hope you like the story!**

* * *

 **Prologue: Strange Dreams**

 _You are doing a great job, Ness._

 _You have come a long way, but it's not over yet. You must fulfill your duty. You are the only one who can do this, you are the Chosen one._

 _I count on you, Ness. Only you can help me._

* * *

Ness opened his eyes. He could see a gentle light entering through the window.

 _Oh… That weird dream again…_

He has been having these strange dreams for some weeks already. All he could see during them was himself surrounded by an eerie darkness, which made he feel extremely uneasy from the start. And then there was that voice. He couldn't really remember everything, but that… person? was talking to him. _I'm doing a great job?_ He remembered. _Will he be referring to me saving the world?_ Even though that voice seemed to praise him, its deep and dark tone disturbed him. Ness yawned. He slept in one sitting all the night, but he felt absolutely restless. The dark circles under his blue eyes proved it.

Ness got up, and then remembered where he was. He and his friends just recorded into the Sound Stone the melody from the fifth "Your Sanctuary", which was located at Magnet Hill, found in Fourside. They then traveled to Summers and met their new friend Poo, and right away they went to the city's hotel to get some rest. Yes, that's it. Ness could tell it was Summers' hotel just by the sight of all the luxury materials and objects. It was like he was in a palace. They had to pay quite a lot to stay the night there though, but they were so drained at the moment they didn't mind. Ness still had plenty of money left in his bank account thanks to his father, so staying there one single night wasn't really a problem.

 _I wonder if the others are awake already._ He thought, while picking his clothes. _Well, I don't think I'll be able to sleep anymore, so I better go and see._

Once he was ready, Ness stepped out of his room. He headed to the lounge, where they decided to meet during the morning. Surprisingly, all his friends where there already, talking between them. Was it _that_ late?

"Ness!" Jeff exclaimed. "You're finally awake, we have been waiting for you for so long."

"Oh…" Ness rubbed the back of his neck, his voice in a fatigued tone. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't notice."

"Ness… are you alright?" Paula's concerned look seemed to suggest she noticed the lack of energy in Ness' voice, and probably the huge dark circles under his eyes as well. "Don't tell me… did you have that dream again?"

"… Yeah…" He couldn't lie to Paula. She always noticed so fast when something was off. Their expressions turned into worried ones.

"Ness, you can't keep on like this. You need to rest." Paula said.

"Yeah, what if you suddenly collapse during a fight!?" Jeff asked.

 _That could really be a problem…_ Ness thought. _My PSI powers could also be affected because of my lack of energy._

"Wait, has that happened to him before?" Poo asked. Since he just joined them, it was understandable that he wasn't informed.

"Yeah…" Jeff answered. "He was been having those strange dreams for two weeks already, and they don't let him rest properly."

"That's not good…" Poo said.

"Do you know what could those dreams mean…?" Paula asked. "Could they be premonitory dreams like mine?"

"I'm… not sure." Ness said. "They don't really seem to tell me anything special…" He was the first one worried about those dreams, but he didn't have a lot to work with in the first place. _If I knew at least who that voice belongs to… But I have no idea, I'm sure I didn't heard it before._

"Should we take him to a doctor?" Poo asked.

"I don't really think that will help Ness…" Paula answered. "I'm sure that dreams are related to his PSI powers. I don't think a doctor could do much."

"I'm ok, guys. Really." Ness tried to look energetic. He really didn't want to worry them. "I'll be way better after eating something!"

"Well, eating sounds good." Poo said.

"Yeah, Paula insisted on waiting for you to have breakfast." Jeff said. "I'm starving!"

Ness laughed a little. "I'm sorry I kept you waiting. You guys could have called me."

"Don't worry. We knew what you have been through during these weeks, and we wanted you to rest a bit." Paula offered a warm smile. "But it seems this night has been the same as the others…"

"I'm alright, Paula. Don't worry about me." Ness insisted. "Let's eat for now, today is going to be a tough day."

 _Yes, everything's going to be alright,_ Ness thought. _There's just three "Your Sanctuary" locations left, I just have to hold on till then. It won't be that bad… right?_

Nonetheless, Ness wasn't only feeling tired this time. He… didn't really know how to explain it, but he started feeling… _strange_. As if something was happening inside him. He wasn't sure what it was, but he decided to ignore it for now. He would probably go back to normal in no time.

They arrived to the hotel's cafeteria. Each of them took a tray and filled it with different types of food and drinks. You could perfectly identify each person's tray just by seeing what they filled it with. The most distinguishable one was Poo's, you could see a bottle of water and a bowl of rice gruel. His diet was the one which differed the most from the others. Paula's tray showed a couple of toasts and some orange juice, and Jeff's showed some pancakes with maple syrup and a glass of milk. As for Ness', he got a bowl of cereal, and orange juice too, same as Paula. Once they finished choosing their meals, they sat on a nearby table.

"So" Poo started. "What are we going to do today?"

"It seems we have to go to Scaraba" Jeff said. "But… there's a little problem."

"What is it?"

 _I'm sure those dreams must mean something_ , Ness thought.

"It seems that there's… some kind of sea monster out there." Jeff explained. "And the sailors are way too scared to sail."

"Oh… then how are we supposed to get there?"

 _And for some reason, I can't stop thinking about them. It's as if… they were calling me._

"I'm not sure… If we could still use the Sky Runner… " Jeff mourned. "But when we arrived Summers, it broke… _again_."

"So it isn't the first time it happens, huh…"

"Ness." Paula called, almost in a whisper.

"O-oh" Ness got back to reality. "… What is it?"

"Ness, are you really ok?" Paula asked, while Jeff and Poo kept talking. "You're a bit… distant today. I know you are tired because of that dreams, but you didn't seem that distant the rest of the days. I'm… a bit worried."

Ness showed a little smile. "Yeah, I was just thinking…"

"About those dreams?" Paula asked.

"Yeah…" Ness answered. "I'm sure those must mean something, but… I don't know what."

"Well… if you need someone to help you, or even just talk, you can count on me." She smiled. "And of course, also on Jeff and Poo."

"Yes, I know." Ness said. "Thank you, Paula. I really appreciate your support. But I really am ok."

"That's nice to hear," she said. "I won't ask about it anymore, I'm sure you just want to disperse it from your mind now."

"Yeah, you're right. I have to focus," Ness said. "We've got to keep the searching of the sanctuaries. We have to give our best!"

Paula smiled. "You're right."

* * *

Once they finished eating, they took all their belongings and left the hotel. Even though everyone seemed to be afraid of that sea monster - Kraken they called it – they had to find a way to get to Scaraba. They tried to convince lots of people, but all of them refused to take them there. Just when their hopes were starting to fade, they found a man who was willing to take them there! He said something about her wife stopping talking, and that he was really grateful… They didn't really know what he meant, but now they finally could travel to Scaraba! Ok, that was one problem less, but… would that "Kraken" really appear? Was it that scary? Was it that huge? Ness couldn't help feeling a bit uneasy, but they had already surpassed lots of other difficult challenges before! This was just going to be another obstacle on their way.

However, this time Ness had a _really_ bad feeling.


	2. Chapter 1: Powerless

**Author's Note**

 **Hello again! First of all, thank you everyone who is reading the story. Even if you don't write a review, I'm happy you are taking your time to read it :) I already got a couple of reviews and I'm so happy, ahhhh xD**

 **About the chapter, this one is way more intense! And mysteries start to pop up as well. I think the story will end up darker than I originally thought!**

 **Also, it's still quite difficult for me to write long chapters! :'D I think this is the longest one I've ever written so far. But I'll try my best!**

 **Now it's time to reply reviews!**

 **Connor the speling pro** **: omg senpai noticed me! D':**

 **It's nice to hear I didn't make a lot of mistakes! I'll try to keep on mind what you told me about the sentence connections.**

 **I'm glad to see the summary worked! Let's see if the story itself is at its same level, haha! :'D**

 **crabbyTomato: I'm glad you think this story will be good! I'll do my best on it :'D**

 **Yep, the story is going to be quite dark, or at least it's what I'm going to try! But I like dark stories, so that's good xD You can see what happens with the Kraken during this chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Powerless**

Ness and his friends were on their way to Scaraba. The man's boat wasn't too big, but there was enough space to move freely. Poo and Paula seemed calm, talking peacefully, but still alert to any sign of that monster showing up. On the other hand, Jeff seemed to be… suffering a bit. It looked like he got seasick, and wasn't really having a good time. He was leaning on the boat's railing, with his head down. You could really tell he was about to throw up.

 _I feel really bad for Jeff_ , Ness thought. _But even though our PSI powers can heal him, he gets nauseated again in no time.._.

Paula approached Jeff with a concerned look, putting a hand on his back. He lifted his head a bit so he could look at her. His face was completely pale and seemed to be begging you to kill him so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

"Don't worry, Jeff", Paula said. "The captain just told me that we already are halfway to Scaraba."

"O-only halfway!?" You could see desperation written on Jeff's face. "I-I don't think I'll be able to survive. I'm sorry, guys. Save the world without me."

"Don't overact, Jeff," Poo said, laughing a little. "You won't be dying because of this."

"T-that's because you aren't the one suffering it!" Jeff mourned.

"It's alright, Jeff," Paula said. "We'll get some rest once we reach Scaraba."

Jeff nodded, and lowered his head again after having a couple of retches. Paula stroked his back softly, as if trying to make him feel a bit better.

Ness looked into the sea, while leaning his arms on the railing. _Something's not right_ , he thought. _The whole trip has been too calm so far. Wasn't a monster supposed to be attacking all ships around this area?_

Suddenly, the sea started shacking violently, making the boat to tremble as well. The entire atmosphere tensed. Huge waves started to form and hit the boat's surface. Ness and his friends started to unbalance, and looked for different places to hold so they didn't end up falling out of the boat. Ness, Paula and Jeff stayed at the railing, while Poo hold to the mast.

 _I hate to be right_ , Ness thought, feeling even more unsettled than before.

"W-what's going on!?" Jeff asked. This couldn't be good for his seasick condition, but that was the smallest problem right now.

"I-it's the monster! It's going to eat us!" the captain shouted, utterly terrified.

"Everyone, be careful!" Poo exclaimed. "It could emerge from anywhere!"

"Gotcha!" Ness answered, taking his baseball bat and getting into a fighting stance. He looked everywhere, searching for the monster. Ness could feel his hands and legs shacking violently. _Why am I so scared?_ He wondered. _We already fought plenty of monsters like this before, so why am I like this now? Is something bad going to happen?_

"L-look at there!" Paula pointed her finger towards Poo's direction. Behind him, the sea started to open, and a huge monster rose from it. It looked like a giant green snake, with a huge head and what it seemed to be reddish hair on his head. It had distinctive enormous fangs, painted in a crimson red which probably belonged to its previous victims. It had no visible eyes though. All the kids looked at it with their eyes filled with terror.

"I-it's HUGE!" Jeff shouted, taking out his gun and bottle rockets while fighting his nausea the best he could.

"I-IT'S THE KRAKEN!" the captain yelled. "WE ARE GOING TO DIE!"

The monster used its big tail to deliver a great blow against the boat's back part. Sounds of broken wood could be heard as it started cracking.

 _This is bad!_ Ness thought. _We can't let it destroy the boat; we are in the middle of the sea!_

Ness placed his hand on his forehead, and started gathering energy. Once he finished, he opened his eyes, painted with a green glow. "Ok, let's do this! PK FLASH!"

Ness pointed his hand to the monster, and a sudden light emerged from him, making the Kraken look flustered and confused.

"Good one, Ness!" Paula cheered. "Let's attack now!"

Paula concentrated and attacked the Kraken with a powerful PK Thunder, all this while trying to keep balanced. Poo joined the attack with a PK Freeze, making it stop moving for a couple of seconds. While the PSI users kept attacking with their powers, Jeff shot some bottle rockets at it, making the monster yell in pain. However, the giant snake didn't seem to have been injured badly, and attacked again, hitting Paula and Jeff and making them almost fall out of the boat.

"GUYS!" Ness ran to help them, while Poo attracted the monster's attention with his psychic attacks.

"N-Ness, help us!" Paula called. She and were hanging from the railing with one hand, while grabbing Jeff's hand with the other. Paula's fingers started to slip out gradually, and just when they were about to fall into the sea, Ness grabbed her hand and started to pull with all the strength he had.

"I-I'll get you up!" Ness shouted. "Just hold on a little more!"

His heart was beating mile a minute; if they fell now with the sea's current state, they wouldn't be able to rescue them! But Ness wasn't strong enough to lift both Paula and Jeff, he needed Poo's help! But he was busy drawing the Kraken's attention.

"P-Poo!" Ness called. "I need your help!"

"Just a minute!" Poo dodged an attack from the monster, and attacked it with another of his powerful PSI abilities. Taking advantage of the Kraken's brief pained state, he ran towards Ness and helped him getting Paula and Jeff up.

"I-I really thought we were done for!" Jeff confessed, breathing with trouble. "T-thank you, guys."

"Don't let your guard down!" Paula warned, while the Kraken prepared to attack again. It swung its tail again, hitting Ness and throwing him against the stern bulkhead and making his bat and cap fall onto the floor. That impact made him scream in pain.

"Master Ness!" Poo ran to assist him, while Paula and Jeff tried to fight the monster again. "Are you ok!?"

"Y-yes…" Ness replied. "It hurts a lot though… ugh." He could even swear he heard something cracking.

"Let me heal you," Poo said. He closed his eyes and lifted his hands towards Ness. His palms started to glow with a gentle light, and Ness could feel how his pain faded gradually.

"Thanks, Poo. I'm better now," Ness got up, taking his bat again. "I won't let that happen twice!"

"That's nice to hear," Poo said, standing up as well.

"Ness, are you ok!?" Jeff asked, while attacking the Kraken with his gun.

"Sure, thanks to Poo!" Ness answered.

Now the four of them could start fighting together again. Ness picked his cap from the floor and put it on once more. He started to concentrate again… when he suddenly started to feel dizzy.

 _W-what…?_ Ness thought, placing a hand on his head while frowning. _Why am I feeling dizzy all of a sudden…? C-could it be because of that impact?_

Paula looked at Ness and noticed his pained look. "N-Ness!" She called, looking concerned. "Are you alright!?"

"I-it's nothing…" He replied. _Right_ , Ness thought. _We are in the middle of a fight; I can't back down just because I'm a bit dizzy. Jeff was feeling like this too and he's giving all he's got!_

Ness started to concentrate again, trying to ignore the dizziness. The PSI he was going to use was the strongest he had, but it drained lots of his energy. The situation required it though. "Ok… PSI ROCKIN!"

…

..

.

Nothing happened.

… _What?_

… _N-no. No. Let's try it again._

Ness tried to focus again. He probably was affected by the dizziness and the stress of the battle, and just needed to try again. Yes, that had to be. He said the PSI's name out loud again, but…

 _Why? Just why?_

Ness started to tense, his hands and legs were shaking and a drop of cold sweat started to fall down his cheek. His face showed pure terror. He could hear his friends calling for him; but he only heard faint voices, as if they were far away from him. Time seemed to go slower; as if this moment was going to last forever. Were his powers… really gone? And in a moment like this!? Was it because he was too exhausted thanks to those dreams? Wouldn't he be able to save the world anymore…?

Ness got distracted from his thoughts once he felt a sudden pain. The Kraken attacked him with his tail again, and while the others dodged it, he was too focused in his terror to notice. Ness fell onto the ground, still feeling too shocked to react. His vision started to blur… he could tell he was about to black out.

… _I'm sorry, guys…_ Ness thought. _I… can't be of any help now…_

* * *

Darkness once more. There were nothing but a black place painted around Ness. This disturbing darkness was too familiar to him, though. He had been there lots of times before.

… _This dream again?_ He thought.

"Ness."

 _It's… that voice_ , Ness noticed. _That creepy voice I've been hearing during those weird dreams_.

"Who… who are you?" Ness asked. "Do I know you? Why do you keep talking to me?"

"Ness, you have to record the melodies left into the Sound Stone."

 _Thank you for ignoring my questions_ , Ness thought, wryly. _Why does this voice insist that much about the Sound Stone anyway?_

 _Wait... I've just remembered._

 _My PSI powers are gone._

"I'm… not sure if I'll be able to do that anymore," he confessed. "It seems… I lost my powers…"

"Do not worry," the voice answered, not ignoring Ness this time. "It is just a side effect. You will get them back."

… _Side effect?_

"W-what do you mean by that? Who the hell are you!?" Did… that voice do something to him? But… how? Ness had never seen that person before… of at least that's what he thought.

"You do not need to know more. It has already started; it is just a matter of time."

Ok, that was really freaking Ness out. What did he mean? A matter of time…? What was going to happen to him?

"Just focus on fulfilling your duty. It's all you need to do," the voice seemed to start fading as he talked.

"W-wait, don't go!" Ness begged. "I need to know more!"

* * *

Ness opened his eyes.

"Ness, you're awake!" That was Paula, looking both relieved and worried.

"… Hu-huh…?"

He could feel his heart racing, and he also was all sweaty. This dream was way different from the others he had. He couldn't really remember too much… but it definitely was different. He never could talk with that voice during his previous dreams; it was just that voice talking. But… what were they talking about…? Ness couldn't really remember. But… he had this feeling… that something was _wrong_. Like, _really wrong_. He never woke up this flustered before, he simply felt restless.

 _Wait._

 _Weren't we fighting that monster!?_

Ness suddenly got up and looked around. Where… were they? They were inside a building, but the decoration was way different to what Ness was used to see, and the room was much emptier. Dun colors dominated the place. The "bed" he had been sleeping in didn't even have a mattress.

"Ness, we are at Scaraba's hospital," Paula explained. "You collapsed while we were fighting that Kraken."

"T-then… is everyone alright?"

Paula nodded. "Jeff and Poo are resting in the town's hotel. We ended up quite exhausted after beating up that monster."

"Thank goodness…" Ness sighed in relief. "…I'm sorry I couldn't help a lot though…"

"Ness… what happened to you while we were there?" Paula asked, now in a concerned tone. "You were doing good, but then you suddenly started to act weird… and then you collapsed after that attack."

 _It's true…_ Ness remembered. "I… couldn't use my PSI…"

"…H-how?" Paula's expression changed into a shocked one. "You never had any troubles by using it before!"

"I know…" Ness said, lowering his head. "I… I don't really know what do to…"

"Maybe… It's just something temporary? Maybe you were too exhausted?" She asked.

"I'm not sure…" Ness answered. "But I still have the feeling I can't use them… I feel useless now… I feel _powerless_."

"Don't say that, Ness…" Paula placed her hand on Ness' shoulder. "Jeff could never use PSI, but he is still able to fight."

 _She's right_ , he thought. _How would Jeff react if he heard me saying those things? He would probably hate me._

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Don't need to apologize," Paula smiled softly. "Are you at least feeling better physically now?"

"I-I think so…" Ness said. "I still feel a bit dizzy though…"

"You should probably rest a bit more," She said. "I don't think we'll do much for today after that fight, I'm quite tired myself. Do you want to stay here, or do you want to go to the hotel with the others?"

"I…" Ness started. "I think I'll stay here just for today. I think I'm a bit feverish…"

"Ok…" Paula said, worried a little. "Then I'll go tell Jeff and Poo that you're awake. I'll come back later, is that ok?"

Ness nodded, and watched Paula as she left the room. He lay down on the bed again and took a deep breath. He lifted and looked at his hand, with a frown on his face.

 _What is happening to me…?_


	3. Chapter 2: Support

**Author's Note**

 **Chapter 2 is here, yay! I hope you were waiting for it :'3 This chapter is** _ **slightly**_ **shorter than the previous one, but not too much. Again, thank you all for keep reading my story!**

 **The story is advancing a bit slower than I thought! But I don't think that's necessary bad, I'm happy seeing how it's evolving.**

 **I also hope you like flashbacks, because we have a long one in this chapter xD (It wasn't supposed to be that long!)**

 **Let's reply reviews now!**

 **Phoesong:** **Yep, Giygas plays an important role in this story! :) You'll have to wait a bit more until you get to know more about his plans.**

 **Haha, I thought that the idea of one of them getting seasick could be funny xD I'm sorry for choosing you, Jeff.**

 **Mysteries will keep coming :)**

 **Connor the speling pro:** **Yeah, I feel so bad for Ness :'D I would be scared as hell if that happened to me, specially having the burden of saving the world. We'll eventually know who that voice belongs to!**

 **Thank you so much for all the advices! I really appreciate those, since I'm not too used to write yet :') (This is actually my first serious fic) I'll try my best to improve!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Support**

Paula exited the hospital after Ness regained consciousness. She felt happy when she saw he wasn't injured badly, but she couldn't help but feel worried. _Why did Ness lose his PSI powers?_ She thought. Ness said that he felt he couldn't use his powers yet, could it be for being too exhausted? Could that dreams be affecting him that bad? Will he be able to get his powers back somehow? He looked really discouraged, but Paula could understand him. Ness had the burden of saving the world on his shoulders. It was normal that he freaked out after his powers disappeared; he probably feared that he couldn't save it anymore. He looked especially shocked during the battle against the Kraken.

* * *

 _Paula and Jeff fought the Kraken with all their might while Poo healed Ness' wounds using his PSI. She could hear them talking while Ness got up, and not long after they stood next to them once more._

" _Ness, are you ok!?" Jeff asked, still attacking the monster with his gun._

" _Sure, thanks to Poo!" Ness answered. Thank goodness, he seemed to be fine. That made Paula relax a little._

 _Since the four of them were alright and together once again, she could finally fully focus in the battle. Paula started to cast more of her PSI powers, with Poo's ones reinforcing the blast. Jeff was also firing more of his bottle rockets, while taking more of his weapons. But, what about Ness? She decided to turn and see if he was ok, when she saw him with a pained look, while placing his hand on his head. Did the previous impact hurt him that bad? But Poo had healed him already, right?_

" _N-Ness!" Paula called; a worried expression could be seen on her face. "Are you alright!?"_

" _I-it's nothing…" He replied. He still looked pained though, but tried to concentrate in the battle. Paula did the same._

 _After that, she could hear Ness casting his PSI Rockin. He was the only one who could use that special PSI. It had an impressive power, but it always left Ness drained, as she could see lots of times before. Such was its power, that even Ness himself had sometimes trouble controlling it before. But this gigantic snake was really strong, so Paula could understand that he decided to use it. She just hoped that the blow wouldn't destroy the boat too._

 _There was something wrong though. She heard him shout the attack's name, but nothing was happening. Also, when Ness used that PSI previously, the air started feeling tense and full of psionic energy, and that wasn't happening this time. She decided to turn to him to see if he was alright. Maybe that pain from before was still bothering him?_

 _When Paula turned to check on him, she froze. Ness was still, looking at his palms with horrified eyes. He almost seemed to be traumatized by something, not able to move or react._

" _Ness!" Paula called. "Ness, can you hear me!? Answer me, please!"_

 _The boy didn't seem to react._

" _Huh, what's happening?" Curious about Paula's shouts, Jeff turned at Ness too. Poo did the same as well, while keeping an eye on the Kraken. "Is Ness ok!? Ness!"_

" _Master Ness!" Poo called. "Can you hear us!?"_

" _Ness, please!" Paula kept trying to get his attention, futilely. "Come back with us!"_

" _Everyone, watch out!" Poo warned, while seeing the monster preparing another of its tail attacks. He, Paula, and Jeff dodged the attack, but Ness, still frozen in place, was hit by the monster's big tail._

" _NESS!" Paula shouted, running to his side._

" _He collapsed…!" Jeff exclaimed. "We need to get him to a safe place!"_

" _Please, Jeff…" Paula begged. "I want you to do that for us."_

"… _Alright," Jeff went to their side, and lifted Ness' unconscious body. You could see on his face that Ness was a bit heavy for him._

"… _Are you alright?"_

" _Y-yes, don't worry!" He answered, while taking Ness to a safer part of the boat (probably where the captain was). "Just take that monster down!"_

" _We will!" Paula turned to Poo, who was still fighting the monster. "Poo!"_

" _Yes?" He answered, still centered in the battle._

" _Let's make a big final attack together! Merging our powers, we can take it down!"_

"… _Are you sure?" He looked at her. Paula's faced showed both anger and determination, which even made Poo look a bit scared for a second. "Alright!"_

 _Paula walked next to Poo, her expression not changing. "Take my hand."_

 _Poo nodded, and grabbed Paula's hand. Both closed their eyes, and started gathering power into them. The air started to tense as their power rose. A big amount of power started to form above de Kraken, shining strongly. Once they gathered enough power, both their eyes opened, showing an eerie purple glow, and shouted in unison:_

" _PK THUNDER γ!"_

 _Suddenly, an immense thunder fell from the sky and violently struck the Kraken, making it shine during the blast lasted. Once the thunder finished, the Kraken remained still for a couple and seconds… and then it fell into the sea, utterly defeated. Paula and Poo's hands separated, both of them looking exhausted._

" _We… we did it?" Poo asked, still a bit dazed._

" _Guys, that was AWESOME!" Poo and Paula turned to see Jeff, who looked astonished. "You defeated the Kraken!"_

 _The captain approached the kids too, carrying Ness on his arms. "Oh, man! I thought you guys were just everyday little kids, but you defeated the Kraken! I also helped in the battle...I threw my slippers at the beast... Maybe you didn't notice."_

" _Ness!" Paula ran to the boy's side._

" _He's still unconscious…" Jeff explained. "But he seems to be fine."_

" _Thank goodness…" Paula sighed, relieved._

" _Captain, the boat has been damaged by that monster," Poo said. "Will we be able to reach Scaraba with its current condition?"_

" _Well…" the man scratched the back of his head, while heading to the damaged parts. "I… I think we can make it. But I'll need to repair it once we get there."_

" _That's good to hear…" Poo said. "Paula, Ness will be fine. We'll take him to a doctor once we get there."_

 _Paula nodded. "You are right… I hope he wakes up soon..."_

* * *

Paula reached Scaraba's hotel. Actually, for being a hotel, it was pretty small. It didn't have lots of rooms, and those weren't even independent, being only separated by an incomplete wall. She found Poo and Jeff resting a bit while talking.

"Hey, Paula!" Jeff greeted her, waving a hand. "How's Ness?"

"He's awake now, resting at the hospital," Paula explained. "He seems to be fine physically, but…"

"Is he alright?" Poo asked. "Do you know what happened to him during the fight?"

"Yes, I talked to him…" she said, with a concerned look in her eyes. "He told me… he wasn't able to use his PSI. And it seems he's still unable to use it."

Poo and Jeff's eyes widened, looking shocked.

"I told you, guys!" Jeff exclaimed. "Being that restless could affect him in battle!"

"But… will he be able to get his powers back?" Poo asked.

"I'm… not sure," Paula said. "He isn't even sure himself. He seemed quite shocked and discouraged though…"

"Maybe he only needs some rest," Jeff said. "I mean… losing his PSI suddenly? That sounds… quite weird to me."

"I hope you're right…" Paula said, lowering her head a little. "I'm really worried about him… He's also been acting a bit strange since this morning…"

"Don't you worry," Poo said. "Master Ness is a strong person, I'm sure he'll be fine. And we are also here to help him."

Paula's lips formed a little smile. "Yeah… he is."

"Changing topic," Jeff started. "Once he recovers, where should we go?"

"I guess we'll have to go through the desert," Paula said. "…I don't really want to go through that again, though."

"Yeah, me neither," Jeff said. "I wonder if we still have some wet towels…"

Jeff reached his backpack, different kinds of belongings started to be taken out while he searched; some broken objects appeared between them. However, one of the items Jeff took out drew Poo's attention.

"Hey, Jeff," he said, while picking the item. It looked like a simple carrot, but it wasn't a real one. "Where did you get this?"

"Huh, that? I think we picked that at Magnet Hill, after recording the fifth melody."

"Do you recognize it, Poo?" Paula asked.

"This is the Carrot Key," Poo explained. "Next to my home place, Dalaam, is a cave guarded by some mysterious rabbit shaped statues. My Master told me that only the Carrot Key would open the entrance, but he didn't know where it could be found."

"Oh! Does that mean that there's where the next "Your Sanctuary" is located?" Paula asked.

"I think it is very possible," Poo answered. "I could use PSI Teleport to take you there."

"That's great!" Jeff exclaimed. "We should tell Ness when go visit him."

"I wonder if Master will be able to fight though…" Poo said.

"Hey, I can't use PSI but I can still fight! I can lend him some of my weapons too."

"Jeff's right," Paula said. "Even without his PSI, Ness is still a pretty strong boy."

"Yeah, that bat can break skulls," Jeff said.

"Then, what about we eat something and we go visit Ness after?" Paula suggested.

"That sounds nice," Poo said. Jeff nodded in agreement.

* * *

Ness tried to rest after Paula left, but as much as he tried, he couldn't sleep. Not that he would be able to rest a lot though, not if those dreams continued. In addition, he wasn't feeling too well either, as his fever didn't seem to go away. Drops of sweat kept coming down his face, soaking his hair; his cheeks were probably painted in a deep red too. Hours passed, lots of thoughts swam through Ness' mind. _Did I catch a cold…?_ He thought. _Or… is this caused by something else?_

Ness kept his eyes closed, with his right hand placed on his forehead.

" _What are you so afraid of, Chosen one?"_

Ness' eyes suddenly opened wide, looking shocked. He quickly sat on his bed and looked around, as if looking for its source. _W-was that just my imagination…? I could swear… it was the same voice from my dreams._ His palm touched his forehead once again. … _I-I must be hearing things… It's probably because of the fever…_

"Good afternoon, Ness."

Ness raised his head, following the direction of this time's sweet and familiar voice. It was Paula, and Jeff and Poo were next to her.

"G-guys," Ness said.

"You don't seem to be feeling too well…" Jeff said.

"O-oh, no. I'm ok," he lied. "Just a bit tired… I'll be fine in no time."

"Master Ness, you don't need to pretend in front of us," Poo said.

"Poo's right," Paula said. "We all are friends, and are here to help each other."

"By the way…" Jeff said. "Paula told us… about your powers."

Ness tightened his lips, frowning a little. "I-I see… I had to tell you anyway…"

"Ness, it's fine," Jeff said. "You still are pretty strong without them, and I'll teach you how to use some of my devices!"

"…Thank you, Jeff," Ness showed a soft smile. "I started thinking I'm useless in my current state… but you have been fighting all this time with no powers at all."

"Hey, it's ok. Having PSI powers will surely be nice, but we can still help everyone without them, right? And who knows, it could be something temporary."

"Yeah," Ness' smile widened. "I'll do my best."

"By the way, there's something we needed to tell you," Paula said.

"What is it?"

"We localized the next "Your Sanctuary"," Paula answered.

Ness' eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Where is it?"

"It's at my home place, Dalaam," Poo explained. "You guys own the key that opens the cave where it's located."

"That's nice, guys!" Ness answered. "I'd want to rest a bit first though…"

"Don't need to ask, Ness," Paula said. "Rest all the time you need until you feel better. We need you full of energy!"

"Thank you…" Ness looked at his friends, with a relieved look. "Thank you for everything, guys."

 _That's right_ , he thought. _Even if I can't use my PSI for now, I can still fight. And my friends will be by my side too. …I still have the feeling that something wrong is happening though… so I should stay alert as well._

 _I wonder what awaits us at the next sanctuary._


	4. Chapter 3: A dangerous power

**Author's Notes**

 **Hello everyone! No, I'm not dead! Sorry about the delay, I've been kind of a mix between busy and lazy, and that isn't a good combination AT ALL :'D But I finally could finish this chapter!**

 **Again, thank you for following the story! It means a lot since this is my first serious fanfic. I still can't get the length I would want for each chapter though :( But still I think 2,5K words per chapter isn't that bad; it isn't too long, but it isn't too short either.**

 **Also, I apologize if this looks like some kind of retelling D: It's necessary for the first part of the fanfic, but the second one will be completely different!**

 **And please, keep reviewing! It helps me knowing if I'm doing it right or wrong, that way I can improve :'3 And also to see if you are interested on the story, of course!**

 **A Shyguy:** **I'm glad to see you're interested so far! I hope I can keep you attention :') And yes, Giygas is quite intelligent!**

 **And now let's go to the chapter!  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: A dangerous power**

"Take care then, son. You know your father is rooting for you!"

Ness smiled softly. "Thanks dad. I'll call back soon, I promise. Bye."

Ness hung up the phone. After getting out the hospital, his energy seemed to be back. He couldn't use his PSI yet, but he could still fight using his trustful bat. He HAD to fight, because the world was in danger after all. His friends were helping him as well, so he didn't have to carry that burden alone. Once he finished phoning his father, he met with the others outside the hotel.

"You don't need to rest any longer?" Paula asked. "We can wait a bit more if you need to."

"Nope, I'm fine. Ready to crash Giygas' minions!" He said, swinging his bat.

"It is nice to see you cheerful again, Master Ness," Poo said.

"Thanks! Where was the next "Your Sanctuary" again?" Ness asked.

"In Dalaam, my home place," Poo answered. "When you guys are ready, I will teleport you there."

"Oh, no… Not that AGAIN…" Jeff said, a pale color dying his face.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Poo asked.

"Well… he also gets _a bit_ sick when PSI Teleport is used on him," Paula explained. "I guess he isn't good with transports in general."

"I will use PSI Healing on you once we get there, do not worry," Poo said.

"…At least this can't be as bad as the boat trip," Jeff admitted, looking a bit relieved.

"Then, is everyone ready?" Ness asked.

Everyone nodded, Jeff a bit reluctantly though. Ness, Paula and Jeff formed a line behind Poo, holding hands. The dalaamian started to concentrate and began running, his comrades behind him. Once they reached the right speed, he shouted "Teleport α!" and a hole appeared in front of them, sucking them inside. When the kids reached the other side of the hole, they appeared at their new destination, Dalaam. The village seemed to be placed on a mountain, but it was actually floating in the sky! The landscape was really different to any place Ness had been before, even the people looked and dressed in a particular way. Their features looked quite similar to Poo's as well, so they could definitely tell he belonged there. The most notable building was in front of them; it looked like a palace, and had two huge elephant statues next to the entrance's sides.

"So this… is Dalaam?" Ness asked. "It looks… so different."

Poo nodded. "Well… for me, the other places are the different ones," he laughed.

"Ehm… guys," Paula called. "I think Jeff needs your help."

"Help me or kill me, but do it quickly," Jeff grumbled, pale and looking at the ground with his hands placed on his stomach.

"Oh, it is true!" Poo realized. "I apologize, Jeff. I totally forgot."

Poo approached him, and used his PSI Healing to stop his nausea. Jeff's face recovered its natural color, and sighed in relief.

"Thanks," he said. "I really don't get used to that PSI stuff."

"You are welcome," Poo smiled. "Maybe you will get used by time."

"I really doubt it, to be honest."

"So, where's the sanctuary, Poo?" Paula asked.

"Oh, yes. Follow me, I will take you there."

They started going down the hill, meeting some of the villagers as they walked. All of them looked at the foreigners curiously; some of them even seemed to be scared of them. Others looked at Poo happily, a few exclaiming "The prince is back!" He seemed quite popular around here. They reached the lowest level of the floating island. Ness looked at the void under the ground and felt how a knot formed in his throat. _We are really high_ , he thought. _I doubt we would survive a fall like that._

Poo pointed at a cave located at their right. In front of the entrance, three black rabbit-shaped statues where placed; they seemed quite heavy though.

"Jeff, can I borrow the Carrot Key?" Poo asked.

"A-ah, sure!" Jeff reached his backpack and quickly searched for the item. "Here it is!"

Jeff handed Poo the key. The dalaamian turned and approached the statues. Suddenly, the key started to react, radiating a bright glow. The statues started to shine as well. After releasing a bright flash, both the key and statues vanished.

"The statues are gone!" Jeff exclaimed, amazed.

"We can get inside now," Poo said. "I have never been in there though, so I do not know what kind of dangers will be awaiting us."

"Yes, we will have to be cautious," Ness said. "This feeling I'm getting is definitely the same I got when we found the previous sanctuaries."

"Shall we go inside then?" Paula asked.

The boys nodded, and entered the cave. As expected, different kinds of enemies were waiting for them, willing to fight. Ness and company cleared up the way without hesitation and advanced deeper in the cave. After a time that seemed to be ages, they spotted the exit and ran towards it. They knew they wouldn't be able to proceed easily though, because each sanctuary was protected by a guardian… and this one was no exception.

 _We could get this far even without my PSI_ , Ness thought. _I already feel a bit exhausted though, and I don't seem to be the only one. Poo is the only one who can heal now, and seems to be the most exhausted one. I hope he has enough energy left for the fight against the guardian._

Ness' thoughts where interrupted by a bright flash, showing the guardian of the sixth sanctuary. This one wasn't like the previous ones though, because it was actually composed by two beings! They had snake-like bodies, one yellow and white the other, and human-like arms and heads with Asian features.

"We are the guardians of Pink Cloud, Thunder and Storm," The beings said at unison. "Oh hello, prince! It is nice to see you."

Poo looked a bit surprised. "U-uh? You know me?"

"Of course we do! We see you have brought friends with you," they said, while looking at the foreigners. "But what is this? They are outsiders. This will not do for your honor."

"N-no, I promise they are good people!" Poo exclaimed. "They are helping me!"

"Such outsiders do not deserve your presence, not even that boy..." the guardians said, looking at Ness. "We make better company; we are of two, but fight like one."

"Then… if we want to go through, I guess we will have to fight, am I right?" Poo asked.

"We do not want to fight you either, prince. Sadly, we have no other option."

"So be it," Poo said, taking a battle stance.

"Let's begin the battle then!" the guardians shouted, and started the battle with a powerful crashing boom bang attack, throwing all four to the ground.

"T-that really hurt!" Jeff groaned.

"That wasn't a good start it seems…" Paula said, getting up quickly. "PK Freeze!"

"Let me help you!" Poo exclaimed, as he got up as well. "PK Thunder!"

The twin beings received both blasts, but they didn't seem to be too injured. "Is that all you have? We are disappointed!"

"How could they take that so lightly…?" Paula wondered.

"We won't let that take us back!" Ness shouted, running towards the guardians and dealing a powerful blow with his bat.

"Now, you have to be careful with that toy, kid" the guardians said. "That hurt."

"And it will hurt more!" Paula said. "PK Fire!"

Both guardians were engulfed by the flames, shouting in pain. Ness stepped back, while Poo used his powers to heal both Jeff and Paula.

"Poo, are you fine?" Jeff asked.

"Yes, do not worry about me," Poo said, removing his sweat with his hand. "Working as both healer and attacker sure is exhausting, but I will be fine."

 _I'm really sorry, Poo._ Ness thought. _It's my fault you have to do everything._

"Now you will see our true power!" Both beings hold hands and summoned a dark and huge cloud formed above the four kids; it was visibly charged with electricity.

"W-what is that!?" Jeff asked.

"It seems like… a storm," Poo said. "We should step back."

"That is correct, prince; you indeed are intelligent! Now, can you endure our deadly storm!?"

Suddenly, lots of lightings started to fall from the clouds, hurting all the team badly and making them fall to the ground.

"A-ah! I can't… move!" Jeff groaned. "My body has become numb…!"

"G-guys!" Ness shouted, kneeling. "Are you ok…!?"

"I-I fear I approached my limit…" Poo mourned. "I-I can't even get up…"

"I… I can still fight…" Paula got up with difficulty, her legs were visibly shaking.

 _Why…? Why can't we win?_ Ness wondered. _Jeff and Poo aren't able to fight anymore, and Paula and I will be the same in no time. Would this be different if I could use my powers…? If I could just heal them… I-I just want to help them… I feel so powerless right now…_

" _You just have to kill it."_

"H-huh!?" Ness got startled. _T-that voice… it was the same from my dreams!_

" _You hate that monster, don't you? You really hate it."_

 _O-of course I hate it! It's attacking my friends; it's willing to kill them!_

" _Do you want to kill it?"_

 _I'll… I'll do it if it's necessary to help them!_

" _Ness. Let all that hate get inside your heart."_

 _W-what? What are you saying?_

" _Ness. Kill that monster. Make it suffer. Ness. Do it. NessNessNessNessNessNessNessNessNessNessNessNessNessNessNessNessNess-"_

"S-STOP IT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Ness shouted and curled up, while grabbing his head tightly with both hands.

* * *

That yell really startled Paula, who was focused in the battle moments ago. She saw Ness on the ground, heavily trembling and looking to be in pain.

"Ness…?" She approached him a little, concerned. "Are you okay…?"

Ness stood still for a few seconds. Paula even considered the possibility that he lost consciousness, but that was disproved when Ness started moving again. Slowly, he uncurled and got up, not making a sound. Paula gasped in horror and stepped back when she saw his face though. His expression looked ominous, contrasted by the glow of fully purple eyes.

"N-Ness…?" Paula called. _I-is that really him though…?_

"I-It can't be…" Poo said, barely conscious. "That power…"

Ness raised both hands, and they started to glow in the same tonality of purple as his eyes. The air tensed, and the earth started to tremble.

"A-an earthquake!?" Jeff exclaimed.

 _His PSI powers… are back?_ Paula wondered. _This energy… there's something wrong with it though…_

Ness' body started to levitate; energy started to accumulate forming hexagonal forms of several colors right above the guardians. Once all of them were placed, they started to gather more and more energy, until…

"PSI ROCKIN γ!"

…An immense beam of energy fell directly into Thunder and Storm. That was its power that both guardians simply disintegrated into the air.

"That power…" Poo whispered. "It's… _evil_ …"

 _T-that…_ Paula looked at Ness, covered in fear. _Since when had Ness become so powerful…? It's… the first time I've ever felt scared of him._

Paula could feel how the energy around them started to fade as Ness went down to the land again.

"…N-Ness!" Paula ran towards Ness. "…A-are you alright?"

Ness turned and looked at Paula. His expression seemed to be back to normal, he looked really exhausted though.

"P-Paula…? What happened…?"

"Huh…? Don't you remember…?"

"Uhm, no…" Ness placed his hand on his forehead. "We were fighting the guardians and… …" his expression looked pained for a second.

"You used PSI Rocking against that beings," Jeff said, while helping Poo getting up. "It was a bit scary, to be honest."

"Huh? So… my PSI powers are back?" Ness asked, looking at his palms.

"Apparently so," Paula said.

"T-then, let me heal you guys!" Ness begged, but was interrupted by Paula.

"Ness, you seem to be quite exhausted as well," Paula said. "We don't want you to faint now; we can rest and heal once we get back to Dalaam. I don't think we'll have to fight anymore."

"But…" Ness wanted to argue, but he knew Paula was right. He didn't remember anything, but he felt like he would collapse at any moment. At least, they seemed to have enough energy to walk. And they still had record the melody into the Sound Stone. "…Alright. Let's get to the sanctuary."

The sun shone brightly once they left the cave, blinding them for an instant. They noticed they weren't stepping on ground anymore, but they were literally on a cloud! A pink one, actually.

"W-woah!" Jeff exclaimed, stepping back a bit. "H-how is this even possible?"

"Interesting indeed," Poo said. "So this is the sanctuary of my home place…"

"Ness," Paula said.

"Yes," Ness took the Sound Stone out of his backpack and stepped forward. He extended his arms and the Sound Stone started to shine; a piece of melody sounded through the wind, and the stone recorded it. The stone stopped shining.

"Well, I guess we are done now," Jeff said. "Let's get back to the village, I'm drained."

Poo nodded. "I will take you to the palace; we will be able to rest and get medical assistance."

Jeff and Poo went back to the cave. Paula was going to do the same, but before entering, she noticed that Ness didn't move since he recorded the melody.

"Ness?" she said. "Let's go back to Dalaam."

He didn't answer, so she approached him from behind. He was mumbling something, but she was too far to make out what he was saying.

"…Ness? What are you saying?" She walked in front of him and widened her eyes. Ness looked like he was in a sort of trance, with a blank stare. He continued mumbling; now Paula being able to understand him.

"… _Master Giygas_ …"

Paula gasped in horror. _W-what? Why is he saying that? No, it can't be._

"N-Ness? H-hey, Ness, wake up!" Seeing that he didn't respond either, she decided to do it the hard way and slap him. At least, it seemed it finally worked, as Ness look went back to normal.

"Ouch! Paula, that hurt!" Ness said stroking his cheek. "Why did you do that?"

"…" Paula didn't know what to respond. _Should I tell him the truth?_ She didn't want to scare him though, not until she was more certain about what was happening.

"Oh, it's just that… you were spacing out, and you didn't respond to anything. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't hit you too hard."

"Oh… is that so? I'm sorry too, then," Ness looked around them. "H-hey! Jeff and Poo left already!"

"They are probably waiting for us inside."

"Let's go with them then, I'm so tired…"

"Sure," Paula smiled softly. "You go first."

"Okay!" Ness turned and entered the cave again. Paula followed him.

 _Ness… what's going on? What's happening to you? I… have a really bad feeling about this. I just… hope I'm wrong._


	5. Chapter 4: Internal conflict

**Author's Notes:**

 **Chapter 4 is here! Tomorrow I start classes again, so I won't have as many time as I had during this time :'D But I'll try to keep updating this! Again, thank you for your continued support, it's highly appreciated!**

 **This is my longest chapter so far! I still couldn't reach the 3K words though :'D Ahhhh, I swear I'm trying my best!**

 **Now let's answer the reviews:**

 **A Shyguy:** **Eh… thank you? xD I'm not sure how to feel about this review, haha. Drugs are bad, kids (?)**

 **Tornonelloceano:** **Thank you, I'm glad you're interested in the story!**

 **And Ness definitely acts more strangely in this chapter ;)**

 **And now let's go to the chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Internal conflict**

The four of them spent that night at Dalaam's palace, Poo's home. The place was immense and really luxurious, surrounded with all kinds of expensive materials and possessions. It was the kind of place where you wouldn't want to touch anything, because if something broke, you probably won't be able to pay it in your whole life. The place was also filled with lots of servants, willing to help you with whatever you needed. When they reached the palace, some of the servants ran to assist them and treated their injuries. Each of them slept in different rooms, but they were so big that one would actually have been enough for all four. Actually, they all could have even fit in the same bed.

Paula woke up early that morning. She was feeling better physically, but in the inside she was still worried about what happened yesterday. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened to Ness. Could Giygas' influence be somehow affecting him? Could… that dreams he had been having lately be related to it? Maybe… she should try to talk to him. But she didn't want to scare him; he already seemed to be having a hard time.

Paula exited the room, and a female servant of the palace stood in front of her. It seemed she was actually waiting for Paula.

"Good morning, lady," the servant said, bowing to greet Paula. "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Oh… good morning," Paula replied, with a soft smile. "Yes, I did."

"Prince Poo is waiting for his friends at the palace's living room," she said. "He told me to take you there once you woke up."

"Oh, I see. So he's already awake," Paula didn't look surprised, since Poo has always been the one who woke up first since he joined them. "Sure, let's go with him."

The servant guided Paula through the palace. Paula actually appreciated it, since it was so big that she would probably have ended up getting lost… and that would have been pretty embarrassing. Once they arrived to the -also enormous- living room, Paula recognized Poo, who was sitting- no, actually levitating upon a cushion. His face showed that he was utterly focused on his meditation.

"Thank you for taking me here," Paula whispered to the servant. She didn't want to bother Poo during his meditation.

The servant nodded, and then left the room. Paula observed Poo for some seconds. She then decided to approach him a bit, trying to be as noiseless as possible.

"Ah, so you are awake too," Poo said, keeping his eyes closed. It made Paula's heart skip a bit, startling her.

"P-Poo! Don't scare me like that!"

He laughed softly. "I apologize; I did not mean to startle you." He gently lowered his floating body to the ground again, opening his eyes once he was touching land again.

"I-it's ok… just don't do it again. Also… I'm sorry for disrupting your meditation."

"Ah, do not worry about that, I was about to finish actually," he looked around. "Aren't Jeff and Ness awake yet?"

"It looks like they are still sleeping. It's normal, since we all ended up quite tired yesterday…"

"That is true…" Poo stood up and frowned. "By the way, Paula… there is something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Hm? What is it?"

"It is about… Ness."

Paula's eyes widened. She kind of expected this coming though, she couldn't be the only one worried about this whole thing.

"…I see…"

"You noticed too, am I right?"

Paula nodded. "He has been… acting strange lately…"

"When he used PSI Rockin yesterday, I felt… an evil aura," Poo said. "And not only that, his power increased so much in such a short period of time…"

"…I-is that so?" It was true that his power was immense that day, and she even felt frightened by it. But, an evil aura… it actually made sense…

"Paula… is there something else I am not aware of?"

"W-well…" she looked away. "Yesterday, after recording the melody into the Sound Stone… You and Jeff left and…"

"And…?"

"Ness…" Paula continued. "He looked like he was in some kind of trance… and I heard him mumbling… " _Master Giygas_ "…

Poo's eyes widened a little, but at the same time it looked like he wasn't that surprised.

"…Did he really say that? Maybe you misheard him…"

"No… I'm sure he said that…" Paula looked back at Poo. "W-what does this mean, Poo…? Is Ness…?"

"Let's not jump into conclusions yet," he cut her off. "We have to keep calmed, we cannot let fear take over our minds."

"Y-you're right…"

"For now, I think we should keep an eye on him," Poo said. "With his PSI powers back, we should continue our journey."

 _But… what if we shouldn't be doing this? What if… this journey is actually_ _ **a trap**_ _…?_

"Paula?" Poo called. "Are you listening?"

"Y-yes… I'm sorry; I'm still a bit sleepy…"

"Paula, if you are worried about something, you can tell me."

"No, no… I'm fine. As you said… let's keep an eye on him for now."

* * *

Ness found himself around darkness once again. Somehow, he was already getting used to it, even though it wasn't really a pleasant place to be. He looked around, as if hoping to find something different this time, but no… it was only the dark place he already visited several times before.

 _How many times will I have to go through this?_ Ness wondered. _I just want to rest peacefully._

" _Ness."_

Ness turned quickly, startled and suddenly feeling more uneasy than before. He heard the voice behind him, but he couldn't see anything there. He could always hear that voice, but he never saw that… person's? being's? face. He wondered how he looked.

"W… where are you?" Ness asked. "Show yourself!"

The voice didn't answer. That made Ness grew impatient.

"Why do you keep haunting me? What do you want from me!?"

" _Can't you tell?"_

Ness tilted his head to one side, showing a confused expression.

"…What do you mean? Should I know…?"

" _Something is changing inside you… can you feel it?"_

"Something… changing…?" Ness placed his hand on his chest, and grabbed his shirt. _Actually… I've been feeling somewhat weird lately._

"What… what did you do to me…? No… what _are you doing_ to me?"

" _Do you feel the hate and darkness growing inside your heart?"_

"…That's-" Ness felt a knot forming inside his throat. He felt as if something was trying to get inside him. Something dark.

"You cannot escape, Ness."

Somehow, Ness felt how the voice approached him. "N-no…! Leave me alone!" He frenetically tried to run away, but he found his feet frozen in place. _W-why can't I move!?_ He could feel how ice cold drops of sweat slowly fell down his cheeks.

Ness gasped when he felt what it seemed to be invisible hands grab his limbs. "W-what is this…!? L-let me go!"

" _ **You'rE MiNe, NESS."**_

"N-NO! GET AWAY!"

Suddenly, Ness found himself sitting on a bed. His heart was still racing; he could feel the frozen sweat on his face as well. He almost could keep hearing that voice, even though he knew –or thought at least- that it was only in his head. It took him some seconds realizing where he was.

"O-only… a dream…" he whispered.

 _Was this… really only a dream though…?_ Ness wondered. _Somehow it felt… so real…_

Ness placed both his hands on his face and took a deep breath. He tried his best to calm down. He was awake now, he was safe.

"Give me a break…" he said, followed by a sigh.

Ness woke up and went to the bathroom to have a shower. Once he finished and got dressed, he grabbed his backpack for a second and took the Sound Stone out, grabbing it tightly.

"Only two sanctuaries left… C'mon, Ness, you can do it."

* * *

After meeting the others and getting ready, Ness and his friends left Dalaam's palace. Once Poo said goodbye to his people, they teleported back to Scaraba. They had to travel through the desert to continue their journey, and even walked inside a pyramid and got attacked by hieroglyphics! Poo left the group when they exited the place though, since a master of him, called Star Master, wanted to teach him a really powerful attack that would help them in future battles. After talking to the Dungeon Man, Ness, Paula and Jeff could finally travel to their next stop: Deep Darkness.

Deep Darkness was a huge marsh surrounded by lots of trees. The only way to go deeper was going inside the swamp though, so Ness and the others got their clothes and bodies soaked and dirty in no time. Paula was the one who seemed to be the most anguished by the whole situation.

They didn't have a really bad time to get further despite the several enemies they encountered, but not much later they found an old enemy… Master Belch, now going as Master Barf. The monster seemed to had gained lots of power since their last encounter, and that put the group against the wall more than once. The battle prolonged more than they expected, and their energy faded bit by bit. When everything seemed lost, Paula couldn't do anything more than praying. She prayed from the bottom of her heart that someone came and saved them… and her words were listened. Suddenly, lots of what it looked like meteorites started falling from the sky, utterly defeating Master Barf and his cohort. The three kids looked at the sky, and they saw Poo! With his new super strong attack, PK Starstorm, he defeated all the enemies!

"Everyone!" Poo descended to the swamp and met his now drained comrades. "Are you alright!?"

"J-just in time, Poo!" Jeff said. "I thought we were done for…"

"T-that was amazing," Paula said. "Was that the technique Mr. Star Master taught you?"

Poo nodded. "It is a really powerful and dangerous attack, but it will be quite helpful for us. It requires lots of my energy though…"

"It was astonishing though!" Jeff exclaimed, excited.

 _Jeff's so annoying. We could just shut up for a change._

Wait. Did Ness just think that?

" _He is just a burden. You should do something."_

Ness' eyes widened. He looked to his sides, but nobody apart of them was there.

"It is not that amazing, really…" Poo said. "Actually, I think Ness' PSI Rockin is stronger."

" _The group would be more efficient without him, and you know it. He was so useless during that last battle."_

… _You're right._

"We weren't of much help in this battle… if it wasn't for you, we would be-"

"We would be _what_?"

Jeff, Paula and Poo turned at Ness. He looked pretty annoyed, clenching his fists.

"W-well… we-"

"You really think we would be killed that easily!? Maybe YOU are the one who would have been killed!"

"W-what? I-I…" Jeff looked insecure and confused by the suddenly hostile Ness.

" _Keep on like this."_

"Ness… what are you talking about?" Paula asked. "We all gave our best!"

"C'mon, Paula, Jeff didn't do a shit during this battle!" Ness yelled. "If it weren't for us, he would have been killed long ago!"

Jeff flinched. Ness' words seemed to actually make him feel useless and weak.

"Ness, you are going too far," Poo said. "Please, calm down."

"A-are you for real, Ness?" he asked, his voice shacking.

"Of course I am! We don't need a fucking psychless person in our team!"

Those words really hit hard on all three, especially on Jeff. Was this really the nice and friendly Ness they all knew?

"…W-well, even without PSI powers, I still can help! You wouldn't have been able to travel that far without my help! You and Paula would still be stuck at Theed's cemetery!"

"We would have found another way to get out!"

"Yeah, sure. Like you are intelligent enough."

"G-guys, stop it…" Paula begged.

"Repeat that, bastard!"

Suddenly, Ness pounced on Jeff and tackled him. Jeff gasped in both surprise and pain as he fell into the water. Paula and Poo got shocked and weren't sure how to react.

"N-NESS, JEFF, STOP!" Paula shouted.

"Master Ness! This is not the way!"

"Don't fucking interfere!" Ness demanded. He quickly sat over Jeff, punching his face. That punch made Jeff's nose start bleeding, and made his glasses fall into the water.

"N-Ness, you son of a…! That fucking hurt!" Jeff tried his best to defend himself, but Ness was physically stronger than him. That wasn't too difficult though since he was quite weak to begin with. He used his free arms to cover from his continuous blows. He was actually thankful he wasn't using his bat.

"Master Ness, stop at this moment!"

Poo approached them, but Ness quickly looked at him and pushed him back with a powerful PSI attack.

"I said don't interfere!"

"T-that power…" Poo said. "It's the same as yesterday. We have to be careful."

"B-but what should we do!?" Paula asked, helplessly. "W-we can't use our PSI, we could hit Jeff too…"

"D-do something, but hurry up!" Jeff shouted.

Ness took advantage of a hole in Jeff's defense to grab his neck and pushed his face into the water. Aware of his ability to breathe being gone, Jeff started moving desperately, trying to break free. He grabbed Ness' hands tightly, pulling them as hard as he could, but with no success. Jeff's face was starting to get purple due to the lack of oxygen.

" _That's it. Do it._ _ **Kill him**_ _."_

"H-he's going to kill him!" Paula was on the verge of her tears.

"Master Ness is too focused on Jeff now! Let's go, Paula, grab Jeff and pull!"

"A-ah, yes!"

Poo and Paula immediately ran towards Ness and Jeff. Poo tightly grabbed Ness' arms, while Paula grabbed Jeff's chest.

"Master Ness, stop this nonsense right now! You are going to kill him!"

"P-Poo, let fucking go! I haven't finished yet!"

"N-Ness, please! This isn't like you!"

"Master Ness, Giygas' influence is affecting you! Do not fall to the dark side!"

"I-I said let go!" Ness moved frantically, trying to free from Poo's grip. In this case, Poo was the stronger one though. Slowly, Poo moved Ness away from Jeff. Jeff, now being able to breathe again, started coughing.

"J-Jeff, are you okay?" Paula asked. She took Jeff's glasses out of the water and gave them back to him.

"I-I think so…" he said, his voice a bit hoarse. He cleaned the glasses and put them on again. "Thank you."

Ness and Poo were still struggling. None of them seemed to give up, even though both were actually tired.

"You leave me no choice, Master Ness. I did not want to use this on you, but you will not stop otherwise…" Poo held Ness still for a second. "Brainshock!"

Suddenly, a terrible ache started to attack Ness' head. He cried out in pain, not being able to focus again in the battle against Poo. The prince freed Ness, and he rigidly grabbed his head with both hands.

"M-make it sTOP!"

"Just if you promise to calm down and not attack Jeff again," Poo said. "And of course, you must apologize."

"W-whatever, just fucking stop that!"

"You promised then," Poo stopped with attack. Ness' face looked highly relieved, but he was still pretty annoyed. Paula and Jeff didn't want to approach him yet.

"U-ugh, finally…" Ness scratched his head. "I thought my head was going to explode."

"Master Ness, you promised," Poo reminded. "Apologize to Jeff."

"…" Ness looked at Jeff, who flinched. "Okay, okay…"

He approached Jeff and Paula, who still looked a bit scared.

"…I'm sorry that I insulted… and hit you," Ness said, looking away with a frown.

"…It's ok…" Jeff said, not completely convinced by the black haired boy's apologize. "I insulted you too."

"Ness… why did you do that?" Paula asked. Her voice sounded broken.

"…"

"It is this place's fault," Poo explained, approaching them. "I had been feeling this dark aura since I got here. It probably fed his dark thoughts and that is why he got so violent."

"If that's true, we better get out of here as soon as possible," Jeff said. "I don't want to get involved in another fight."

"I agree…" Paula said.

Poo used his Lifeup PSI to heal Jeff's wounds. His nose seemed to be fine again. "We should get going then."

Everyone but Ness nodded, and started moving again. In the distance, they could see the entrance of a cave, their next destination. Ness followed them from behind, silently.

" _They all are so annoying, aren't they?"_

 _You're so fucking right._

* * *

 **AN:**

 **I SWEAR I DON'T HATE JEFF. I know I'm not treating him too well, but I like them all, really :'D Don't hate me, haha.**


End file.
